Hanging off the bow of the National Geographic Explorer watching a mother polar bear guide her cubs across the sea ice, witnessing a walrus nurse her calf, and learning about the complexity of polar vegetation, had a profound impact on my understanding of both the vulnerability and resiliency of the High Arctic. The crew and scientists on-board helped stretch my thinking and left me feeling empowered to make decisions, even in the face of uncertainty. Returning home from these experiences, I was aware that my capacity for empathy towards the environment and climate change issues had grown. The words of primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall especially resonated with me: “Only if we understand, can we care; only if we care, will we help.”
I was excited and inspired to go back to my classroom to help my students investigate important questions relating to climate change. Why is polar life so adaptable? How do mountains affect humanity? Is the decline of sea ice really something to be concerned about? However, what I was most interested in when returning to my school was the question: How do you build empathy in a classroom?
I want my students to get lost in learning and come out of the school year knowing that there is more to explore and more work to be done to address environmental issues. As an educator, I feel confident that the same passion and empathy I developed through the expedition experience can be transitioned into the curriculum.
This school year, I investigated 4 new immersive teaching strategies and felt they all had a positive impact on my students as learners.
1. Breakout EDU
Breakout EDU is an immersive game platform that is fun for learners of all ages. Students work collaboratively to solve a series of critical thinking puzzles in order to open a locked box. Breakout EDU offers a series of ready-made resources to fit your needs by subject. Breakout EDU also provides you with the tips and resources that will help you get started with designing your own game. My colleagues developed a program where grade 11 students were tasked to design a breakout box for grade 8 students. Senior students were given the creative freedom to develop clues that focused on the theme of exploration. Junior students had the opportunity to try to solve the box during their week long fall adventure camp program.
The big idea with a Design Sprint is to build and test a prototype in just 5 days. Students work in small teams, and rapidly progress from problem to solution. I read the book Sprint by Jake Knapp which proved to be very helpful when designing this project. The goal with a Design Sprint is to empower students to investigate an issue they are passionate about; innovative design begins with empathy. When our curriculum team implemented a Design Sprint, students explored their personal values and selected a theme they were interested in addressing. Themes included: energy, environment, transportation, health, and inequality. Students were tasked to define a BIG local problem associated with their chosen theme. Using design thinking strategies, students conducted research and generated a prototype of their proposed solution to their problem. The task culminated with a pitch to a group of experts in the field.
Link to my National Geographic Capstone Video
3. Google Earth
Check out Google Earth Education to find out how easy it is to link this tool to your learning objectives. Providing students with the opportunity to move beyond being passive recipients of knowledge is so important in lesson planning. Rather than simply teaching students about shoreline development or melting ice, Google Earth allows students to explore, measure and analyze it for themselves. Geospatial thinking has transformed our perceptions of the world around us, and how we address issues such as climate change and the protection of wildlife. I developed an inquiry-based scavenger hunt where students could explore locations and draw their own conclusions about key concepts. My students have heard all about my expedition to the Arctic. When designing this lesson, I chose to connect my students with the locations I visited last summer. My hope was that this activity would deepen their connection to a place I care so much about, and inspire them to ask more questions.
Link to my Google Earth Pro lesson plan
4. InstaVR
Fostering a spirit of exploration in my Science classroom is important to me. In partnership with my school’s Information Technology department, I created my first Virtual Reality Lesson. Using Google Cardboard, students had the opportunity to explore the Canadian High Arctic while engaging with text, photographs and videos at their own pace. If this is something that interests you, I would highly recommend InstaVR. This technology is fast and easy to navigate, and it allowed me to bring my students a little closer to the Canadian Arctic.
What unites these four strategies? Through these learning experiences, students cannot respond passively and are encouraged to act with purpose. Breakout EDU promotes active learning, a Design Sprint encourages students to co-create and shape a driving question, Google Earth pushes students to take initiative, and InstaVR inspires independent thought.
Active learning processes help students develop agency, and I hope that by giving students a voice and choice in their own learning, they come to a deeper level of understanding:
“Only if we understand, can we care.” - Jane Goodall
It is a privilege to come to school every day and work with young learners. I have not found the perfect answer to building empathy in the classroom, but I am proud to use my experiences from the Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program to tackle this complex challenge. It is my hope that sharing my adventure in the High Arctic will inspire students to take advantage of similar opportunities to explore the world, appreciate diverse ecosystems, and develop their own empathy towards the environment.
Starting in September, my school has granted me a one-year leave from my teaching duties to pursue my Master in Climate Change degree at the University of Waterloo, Canada. There is so much more to understand, and I look forward to continuing this journey with my students.
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